Messiaen: Turangalîla-symphonie Angela Hewitt

• Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992): Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946–48), Symphony For Piano, Ondes Martenot And Orchestra
• 1 I. Introduction 06:32
• 2 II. Chant d'amour I 08:02
• 3 III. Turangalila I 05:23
• 4 IV. Chant d'amour II 10:19
• 5 V. Joie du sang des etoiles 06:11
• 6 VI. Jardin du sommeil d'amour 09:52
• 7 VII. Turangalila II 03:52
• 8 VIII. Developpement de l'amour 11:37
• 9 IX. Turangalila III 05:37
• 10 X. Final 07:32
• Total Runtime 01:14:57

Info for Messiaen: Turangalîla-symphonie

This Ondine recording contains Olivier Messiaen's (1908-1992) magnum opus from the 1940s, the large-scale Turangalîla-Symphonie conducted by Hannu Lintu.

The recording features as soloists the renowned pianist Angela Hewitt as well as Valérie Hartmann-Claverie, who plays the rare electro-acoustic ondes Martenot instrument which, alongside with the piano, has a substantial role in Messiaen's work.

This release continues Hannu Lintu's brilliant Ligeti recording with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (ODE 1213-2; Gramophone Editor's Choice) and points out once again Lintu's skills with works by 20th century composers.

The Turangalîla symphony is a gigantic work with two soloists and is cast in ten movements. Above all, Turangalîla is a symphony of love, but also much more. The composer himself described his symphony with the following words: 'Turangalîla means all at the same time song of love, hymn to joy, time, movement, rhythm, life and death'.

After the Introduction of the first movement which lays out the basis of all subsequent material, movements two, four, six and eight evolve as explorations of the theme of love; movements three, seven and nine develop the darker associations perhaps of death; and the fifth and tenth movements act as overall summation points for the two halves of the symphony. Within the microcosm of this vast symphony, Messiaen provides continuity and cohesion with recurrent musical images and reference points, redolent of the leit motifs, idées fixes or cyclic themes of the great Romantic composers.

Serge Koussevitzky, who originally commissioned the work from Messiaen, was convinced that the Turangalîla-Symphonie was the first great milestone to appear on the musical horizon since Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps.

Angela Hewitt, piano
Valérie Hartmann-Claverie, ondes Martenot
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, conductor

Angela Hewitt
is a renowned pianist who is celebrated for her wide-ranging repertoire and acclaimed Bach performances. A frequent performer in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, she has built a reputation as one of Bach’s foremost interpreters, earning accolades for her award-winning recordings.

In March 2024, Hewitt began her latest major project, The Mozart Odyssey, performing all of Mozart’s piano concertos, first appearing with Pierre Bleuse and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. The project follows her acclaimed Bach “Odyssey” cycle (2016–2024), where she performed the composer’s complete keyboard works across 12 recitals. The Mozart project continues in 2024–2025 with performances in nine countries. Her conductor-led performances include the Brussels Philharmonic, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Toronto and Vancouver Symphony orchestras, and the Ulster Orchestra, among others.

Hewitt maintains a busy recital schedule throughout 2024–2025, including concerts in New York City, Seoul, Toronto, Vienna, Rome, Milan, Utrecht, Bern, and Oxford, as well as her regular appearances at London’s Wigmore Hall. The season includes two return recital tours to Australia and Japan, including performances in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Tokyo, and Kyoto.

Hewitt’s award-winning cycle for Hyperion Records of Bach’s major keyboard works has been called “one of the record glories of our age” (The Sunday Times). Her discography also includes albums of Couperin, Rameau, Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Fauré, Debussy, Chabrier, Ravel, Messiaen, and Granados. Her most recent recordings include the first two volumes of Mozart’s complete piano sonatas, with the final set due for release in 2025. In 2015, Gramophone magazine inducted her into its Hall of Fame.

Born in Ottawa to a musical family, Hewitt started playing piano at age three and first performed publicly at age four. She studied at the University of Ottawa with Jean-Paul Sévilla and won the 1985 International Bach Piano Competition in Toronto, launching her career. In 2006, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II made her an Officer of the British Empire. In 2015, she became a Companion of the Order of Canada, her native country’s highest civilian honour. Hewitt has seven honorary doctorates, is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, and was awarded the Wigmore Hall Medal in 2020 for her service to classical music and longstanding relationship with the venue.

Hewitt lives in London but also has homes in Ottawa and Umbria, Italy, where, 20 years ago, she founded the Trasimeno Music Festival—a week-long annual event drawing an audience from all over the world.

Angela Hewitt plays a Fazioli piano.

Booklet for Messiaen: Turangalîla-symphonie